Will China and Russia Defeat the US in AI Arms Race?

The United States of America are falling behind in the Artificial Intelligence arms race, as China and Russia are striding ahead with the creation of AI-powered weapons, a new report revealed.

The study— by data analysis group Govini and ex US Deputy Secretary of Defence Robert Work— flagged up how the American Department of Defence risks losing its edge when it comes to harnessing AI’s potential for military purposes.

First published by CNN, the report urged the US to make up its mind on whether it wants to “lead the coming revolution, or fall victim to it.”

“This stark choice will be determined by the degree to which the Department of Defense (DoD) recognizes the revolutionary military potential of AI and advanced autonomous systems,” the document read.

The Russian political-military machine is firmly behind efforts to weaponise AI— as the country churns out increasingly sophisticated cruise missiles and drones, juiced up with autonomously technology.

Recently, Moscow revealed its plans to send a gun-toting robot—nicknamed FEDOR or Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research — to space. FEDOR has allegedly been trained to drive a car, pilot a spaceship, and carry out several athletic stunts.

Meet FEDOR: he is big on both Crime and Punishment.

China’s AI feats may be less flamboyant but possibly more effective. The Asiatic superpower has created a new cyber-focused unit within its famed People’s Liberation Army, while President Xi Jinping’s government has earmarked billions for AI development, with the explicit goal of gaining the upper hand over US and Russia in the field.

Beijing is also betting big on face recognition technology— as Chinese companies such as Megvii and Yitu Tech are attaining world leader status in the discipline.

Govini’s report underlined how—while the US military is also showing interest in AI, and pouring significant investment in the technology— the country still needs to lay out a clear, long-term plan to tackle its rivals in the arms race.

An adequate response to the Russo-Chinese challenge, the report said, could come from increased investment in “advanced computing” technology, and analytical technology — which can display information to human operators.

Report co-author Robert Work told CNN that the matter would eventually “require a national response led from the White House.”